2007 Gmc Sierra 1500 on 2040-cars

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J.D. Power: Mini, Lexus again offer most satisfying sales experience

JD Power has released its annual Sales Satisfaction Index Study, and once again Mini and Lexus have taken top honors. Overall, buyers are more satisfied with the auto-buying sales experience than they were last year, with those surveyed reporting an average score of 664 points on a 1,000-point scale. That's up from 648 in 2011. Dealer satisfaction also increased by five points over last year as well.
All told, Lexus brought home an index score of 737, which was high enough to put it atop the luxury brands for the second year in a row. JD Power says Infiniti came in second in that category with a score of 728 and Cadillac rounded out the podium with it's rating of 725. Speaking of Infiniti, that brand saw the single largest jump in sales satisfaction of any brand on the survey, popping up 52 index points over 2011.
Among mass-market brands, Mini ranked highest with a score of 712, followed closely by Buick with 706 and GMC farther down the line with 683. You can check out the full press release below for more information.

GM diesel pickups first to undergo extra EPA, CARB testing

The effects of Volkswagen's long-running diesel emissions evasion are starting to spill over to other automakers, but General Motors is taking things in stride. The 2.8-liter, four-cylinder Duramax in the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon is the first engine to get extra scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, Automotive News reports. Rather than just the usual in-lab test, it's also being checked on the road. However, the extra evaluation shouldn't have any impact on when the trucks with his mill hit dealers later this fall. "We're in our final stages of the EPA certification, and our launch is on track," Chevy spokesperson Otie McKinley tells Autoblog. The four-cylinder diesel in the trucks makes 181 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and the automaker is touting low NOx production. In the announcement for the Colorado's specs, the company calls it "the cleanest diesel truck engine ever produced by General Motors." The tech includes exhaust gas recirculation to lower combustion temperatures and improve emissions. There's also a urea tank like on the bigger diesels for full-size trucks, and it gets refilled in time with oil changes. An indication on the instrument panel lets drivers know when that's needed, too. Even with the more demanding testing, the company doesn't seem too worried about the four-cylinder passing. "Part of our development process is on-road and off-road [laboratory] testing," Scott Yackley, Chevy Trucks assistant chief engineer, said to Automotive News. In the wake of the VW scandal, the EPA has pledged more rigorous testing. Before, on-road emissions evaluations were largely limited to heavy-duty vehicles, but the agency has decided to apply the checks more often to other models. There's also now greater cooperation with Canadian authorities.

2025 GMC Yukon AT4 teased, will likely follow 2025 Suburban template

It's time to begin teasing the 2025 GMC Yukon, the luxury truck division doing so with a glimpse of the front fascia on the AT4 trim. This being a refresh, we're not looking for major changes to hard points. In contrast to today's Yukon, it seems the new face will stress horizontal breadth instead of highlighting the central aspect of a giant grille and skid plate area. Starting with the taller C-shaped headlights on the 2025, a shorter horizontal element at the top no longer reaches all the way to the grille surround, and it's separated from the three main beams below by a body-colored piece extending from the grille cradle. Below the light, a new lower bumper treatment probably increases the aggression compared to today's truck. Instead of black centerpiece that houses the skid plate and a pair of tow hooks, it appears the entire bumper will be black and wrap around into the fenders. Finally, the grille looks the same, but its crossbars have been reprofiled.  As sibling to the 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban that Chevy revealed last November, we expect many of the same updates here. Outside, that would mean refinements to the independent rear suspension for more nimble handling, new wheel designs, and availability of the second-generation 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six with 305 horsepower and 495 pound-feet of torque instead of today's 277 hp and 460 lb-ft. Inside, we expect a new instrument panel housing a 17.7-inch touchscreen for infotainment, and a column shifter replacing the push buttons on the center console. Updated trim materials — along with the overdue infotainment upgrade — should provide a finer sense of luxury than what's currently on offer.  If tech treats carry over, buyers will have access to the Connected Cameras feature for viewing and recording inside and outside of the vehicle for crash and security purposes. An Interior Motion Detection system can detect "micro-movements" in the cabin that could signal a baby or a pet left in the vehicle.  The Yukon might go further than the Chevy SUVs, seeing that GMC has some birthdays to celebrate: 2024 is the fifth anniversary of the AT4 trim and the 25th anniversary of the Denali trim. We'll find out later this year, GMC promising the Yukon reveal sometime after the new Acadia begins shipping to dealers.